Jul 12, 2010

Robert, Brad and George at ShoWest in 2005Because it's always interesting to hear what's going on with him and because his name probably gets mentioned by someone in our industry 83.2 times a day in some context or other, I was very happy to read this exclusive by Nikki Finke at the head of her Deadline Hollywood blog tonight:

From Deadline.com/Hollywood by Nikki Finke: I hear that, after a hot pursuit by all the major Hollywood agencies, formerly rep-less Brad Bird has signed with UTA's Tracey Jacobs and David Kramer. The writer-director is currently prepping to helm Paramount's Mission: Impossible IV for producer J.J. Abrams, with Tom Cruise starring. But Deadline has reported previously that Paramount is currently rethinking MI4. I hear the script that came in is very good, but the studio is still trying to figure out the budget as well as Cruise's role in light of the lackluster Knight And Day grosses. There's talk that Tom's character will mentor a young operative this time out if the pic proceeds. I just hope Bird is pay or play.

He's also attached to direct 1906 for Warner Bros. Bird won two Academy Awards for directing the Pixar hits The Incredibles and Ratatouille, both of which he also wrote. Bird's first major animated feature came with Warner Bros' The Iron Giant, which he wrote and directed. In addition to working at Pixar, Bird has also had a prolific television career, having worked on shows such as The Simpsons, King Of The Hill, and The Critic. Bird will continue to be represented by attorney Jake Bloom.

Any news such as this is good news. Everyone I know wants to see whatever he does next as soon as may be.